May 22, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • Page 23 Prescription drug thriller heads list of new releases by Dennis Seuling “Side Effects” (Open Road Films) is about the downside of the ever-proliferating miracle drugs marketed to the public. It is also an intelligent drama of a young woman’s troubling experiences with an assortment of psychiatric drugs. Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) has been under a great deal of stress. Her husband, Martin (Channing Tatum), was incarcerated for insider trading and is about to be released. With her previous anxieties resurfacing, she consults Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law). He visits Emily’s previous physician, Dr. Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones), to learn Emily’s history and previous medications. Banks prescibes a new drug on the market: Ablixa. Director Steven Soberbergh and writer Scott Z. Burns have crafted a fascinating, multi-layered drama in which the main plot reveals several underlying stories, and characters may not be what they appear. A series of mysteries is revealed and keeps viewers involved. Mara (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) plays the enigmatic Emily in a state of foggy awareness appropriate for someone who has been depending on drugs to function. Law has his best role in some time. His Dr. Banks -- asking questions that may not have been asked before -- is the key to discovering Emily’s problem. Initially, he is solidly professional, distancing himself from anything other than a doctor/patient relationship. However, when serious questions about medication arise, he realizes that, as the prescribing doctor of record, he has been drawn into an escalating nightmare of his own. Bonuses on the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack include a brief behind-the-scenes featurette and website and commercials for the fictional drug. “Stand Up Guys” (Lionsgate) finds three retired gangsters reuniting for one last caper. After serving a 20-year prison term, Val (Al Pacino) is released into the questionable company of Doc (Christopher Walken) and Hirsch (Alan Arkin). Director Fisher Stevens both pokes fun at old age and champions it, portraying the three hunched, over-the-hill fogies as being entirely capable of pulling off a dangerous job. The film is loaded with scenes that would likely give heart attacks to actual men, but the chemistry among such cinema veterans makes the picture worth watching. Walken, in particular, shines as a retiree who spends his days watching TV, painting sunrises, moderating his diet, and waiting patiently for former partner Val to get sprung. Rooney Mara stars as a young woman experiencing unexpected reactions to a new drug in ‘Side Effects.’ The two men are opposites: Val is jumpy and always on edge; Doc is laid back and takes things in stride. Walken contrasts humorously with Pacino, who has turned in similar short-fuse performances for the last 20 years. Extras include director commentary, a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, and featurettes on the stunt driving scenes and the Jon Bon Jovi songs on the soundtrack. “Ultimate Gangsters Collection: Classics” (Warner Home Video) contains four famous films. “Little Caesar” and “The Public Enemy” (both 1931) defined the rat-a-tat editing style of early Warner Bros. crime flicks and put Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney, respectively, on the map. Both actors went on to long careers, playing both tough guys and law-abiding characters. “White Heat” (1949) features Cagney as sociopath Cody Jarett, who is as devoted to his mother as he is brutal to those who cross him. “The Petrified Forest” (1936) stars Leslie Howard and Bette Davis and features Humphrey Bogart as Duke Mantee, a role recreated from his stage performance. The film is very talky, but Bogart shines, beginning his transition from featured player to star. All four films are on Blu-ray for the first time. Bonuses include a 32-page book with photos and production information and a feature-length documentary, “Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film.” A second set, “Ultimate Gangsters Collection: Contemporary,” contains Blu-ray editions of “Mean Streets,” “The Untouchables,” “Goodfellas,” “Heat,” and “The Departed.” It also comes with a 32-page book. “H.P. Lovecraft’s Cool Air” (Lionsgate) is an eerie tale about defying death. Struggling screenwriter Charlie Baxter sets out to write his long blocked “great American screenplay” when he suffers a heart attack and his mysterious upstairs neighbor, Dr. Shockner, comes to his rescue. Persuading Baxter to stay with him until he recovers, the doctor introduces him to a nightmarish world of insane experiments and murder. Baxter knows something must be done to stop the evil in the room at the top of the stairs. Director Albert Pyun creates a weird and foreboding atmosphere in this independent feature, which relies more on sharp writing and thoughtful direction than razzle-dazzle special effects to create terror. Lovecraft purists will find this movie a credible adaptation of a classic story. Horror fans in general, however, might find it a bit too tame and slow-going. There are no extras on this DVD release. “Howl’s Moving Castle” (Disney), a sumptuous-looking animated film, makes its debut on Blu-ray. Howl (voice of Christian Bale) is a wizard whose heart was stolen by a demon. To recover it, he assembles a ragtag “family” to live with him in a moving castle. These include a friendly fire demon named Calcifer (Billy Crystal), young apprentice Markl (Josh Hutcherson), and 90-year-old housekeeper Sophie (Jean Simmons) who is actually an 18-year-old hat maker (Emily Mortimer) cursed by the lumpy Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall) so she cannot tell anyone she has been transformed. Japanese animator Hiyao Miyazaki is a master of traditional animation and has made this a beautiful looking film. The combination of fantasy, vivid characters, and an engaging story will be rewarding for all fans of animation. The two-disc combo pack contains Blu-ray and DVD versions, original Japanese storyboards, interviews with Pixar Studios personnel, and the featurette “Hello Mr. Lasseter: Hiyao Miyazaki Visits Pixar Animation Studios.” “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (Warner Home Video) is a broad comedy in which the well-meaning vacation (continued on Crossword page)